FRANKFORT, Ky. — An effort to ban hair discrimination statewide is running out of time, with only two days left in the legislative session. 

House Bill 31 would ban discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists.

It’s also known as the ‘CROWN Act,’ which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.”

This is the third year Rep. Attica Scott (D-Louisville) has filed the bill and it’s the closest it has come to passage. 

“It’s so innocuous,” she told Spectrum News 1 on Friday. “We’re talking about banning discrimination based on natural hair. Why not protect people from discrimination?”

Louisville middle and high school students have pushed for the measure and testified before lawmakers. 

The bill passed a House committee in March with almost every member supporting it.

“The young people went to leadership in the House and were told that the bill would be heard within the next week and it wasn’t and that was almost three weeks ago, so they’ve learned the hard way how the political process can work in Frankfort and that something they’ve been told can change in the blink of an eye,” Scott said. 

She pointed out that a bill related to medical marijuana passed out of the same committee on the same day and was called to the House floor a week later. 

Scott believes the votes are there to pass it in the House and will keep pushing for the legislation through the end of the session, she said. 

She credits the students for getting it this far. 

“They are the reason why we were able to get five Republican co-sponsors on the CROWN Act,” she told Spectrum News 1. “That is huge. They did that work, right, and we did it together.”

The bill has the support of the chair of the Senate judiciary committee, according to Scott. 

Spectrum News 1 is working to find out from House leadership if there are plans to call it to a vote in April.